The Senator isn't having a bar of it.

Senator Nick Xenophon has rejected a push to repeal the sections of the racial discrimination act.

A renewed push to repeal sections of the Racial Discrimination Act is likely to have trouble getting off the ground after it was rejected by Senate powerbroker Nick Xenophon.

The rejection comes after a push by independent and One Nation senators to alter the law and remove prohibitions on offending or insulting someone because of their race -- a move they argue protects free speech.

Over the past few days Liberal Democrat senator David Leyonhjelm, One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts and Victorian senator Derryn Hinch gave their backing to repealing the sections of the law on free speech grounds.

But on Monday Nick Xenophon, whose NXT party would likely need to be convinced to support the change for it to pass, rejected the idea.

"When you have both the Jewish community and Arab community on a unity ticket, in the same room, saying 'we think these amendments are reckless', then you know this is an area that we shouldn't go down," he told the ABC.

With Labor, The Greens, NXT and independent senator Jacqui Lambie opposing changes to 18c, the proposed altering of the Act is unlikely to pass the Senate, where Labor holds 26 seats, the Greens nine seats and NXT three seats.

On Monday Labor leader Bill Shorten called on Malcolm Turnbull to rule out changes to 18c, and said the Prime Minister had left the senate hostage to claims from the crossbench.

"What Mr Turnbull needs to do today is say that 18c and freedom of speech and the protection against hate speech are not up for negotiation," Shorten said.

I won't support changes to Racial Discrimination Act & talking about it is a distraction from real issues ie unemployment #politas#auspol